Monthly Archives: July 2014

With major companies buying out small start-ups on a daily basis, and major networks launching new layout changes annually, the question of where social media is leading us should not be pushed aside any longer. As we enter the second half of 2014 it is important to consider the new social algorithms and plan for the future. Mobile first, advertising, and visuals are looked at as three separate elements, but need to switch to be seen as one large connecting plan.

Smartphone technology has lead to users engaging primarily via mobile rather than on a desktop/laptop. comScore released a study showing that of the 8 major social platforms, only two have users that engage on desktops over 50%. The switch to mobile engagement has advertisers spending more money to stay ahead of their market. Brands are going to have to spend more to get significant impact on their mobile sites, or they are going to luck out. Brands are now starting to pour money into visual advertisement to connect better with their audience. This unique experience will cost more, but is the next medium to take off within the next year. As for brands, it is important to connect the dots, or in this case mobile, advertising and video, or they will be left in the dust!

Three things you like about social media: I really enjoy how social media makes it easy to stay in touch with people – I’ve studied abroad twice and social media sites like Facebook and Instagram definitely make it easier to stay close with people I’ve met all over the world! I also like how social media serves can be a platform for my interests – whether its food, fashion, or fitness, I can find an Instagram to follow or a blog to read to expand on it. It’s also probably my first source for hearing news, so I like how it’s a fast and easy way to stay updated, whenever and wherever I am.

One think you look forward to at your internship: I’m looking forward to learning more about the in’s and out’s of social media as a business tool…. There’s way more to it than I thought!

Three things you would need to have if you were on a deserted island: Honestly, the three things I really can’t live without are coffee, chocolate, and wine….. So I’d bring no hydration and no nutrition and last one day.

Guilty pleasure: Chopped, I’m obsessed.

Celebrity crush: Heath Ledger – it’s a sore subject.

Starbucks, Dunkin, or the local coffee shop: Local coffee shop for sure!

Whether accidentally or purposely, it looks like Twitter has revealed it’s latest addition to making consumer purchasing faster and easier. We’ve seen how the addition of Twitter cards has helped drive products from seller to consumer, and now the latest reveal of the “Buy Now” button yesterday seems to make that transaction even simpler.

The buy now button appears similiar to the download button you use when downloading an app from the app store and will make Twitter ads “shoppable”. So far, the button only appears on the mobile version of Twitter and does not lead to anything, but once it does, it will certainly come in handy as a purchasing function for Twitter users.

The buy now option is just the start of quick and easy buttons Twitter is adding to connect sellers and consumers, rumor has it a “click to call button is being added as well, where consumers can press and be immediately connected with the sellers of the product they are viewing over the phone. Mashable does a great job .

Last Monday, Facebook tweaked its News Feed algorithm by including a new video ranking system. The system, designed to indicate the outreach of video content, aims to target those viewers who routinely press the “play” button. Therefore, people who routinely watch videos will now expect to see more videos at the top of their News Feed, while viewers who do not watch frequent videos will see less.

The improved News Feed algorithm will not only allow Facebook too provide more videos to their users, but also it will allow the company to see which users are most engaged with their video ads. The updated algorithm plans to further the success of its video ads in appealing only to those who watch them.

Facebook explains that while more videos will be uploaded, instead of image-based ads, there will be no affect to other types of video content, including YouTube. The updated algorithm is just one of the upcoming video-related changes that Facebook has announced recently. Overall, Facebook is targeting their users individually to see what their activity habits are to help increase the use of video ad campaigns.

We’d like you to meet one of our awesome and innovative designers, Angela Martini! We sat down to ask Angela about her design experience and what she enjoys about the industry, and here is what she had to say!

Hometown: Orange County, New York

How did you get into graphic design? I thought I wanted to go into architecture at first, but then I took a graphic design class in high school & fell in love.

What is your favorite brand from a design standpoint? Why? I have a lot of favorite brands, but lately I’ve been turning to Starbucks for inspiration; they have been putting out some really out of the box design ideas over the past year.

We know all of our clients are awesome, but which one have you really enjoyed working on, again, from a design standpoint? I really do enjoy every client I have worked on, but If I had to choose I think I’d go with Proyo. I think the stuff we put out for them is versatile and fun and speaks to the brand identity very well.

What have you learned from your position at Sircle so far? I’ve learned to take my time! Even though social media is a fast ever-changing cycle, time and preciseness are very important to design at Sircle Media.

What has been your favorite part of working at Sircle Media? I love the fact that I can work from any location. This allows me to work from different places and have my own independence and autonomy. I do also enjoy the team very much as they are very insightful and always willing to help!

Our take? Angela has been a wonderful addition to our team. Her proactive nature and willingness to go above and beyond is what we love about her! Our clients are the biggest beneficiaries, because Angie (as we affectionately refer to her) is a star!

Nowadays, virtually everyone is on Facebook. But did you know virtually everything about everyone, is also on Facebook? From internal information about it’s users like behaviors and interests to external from the U.S. Census and the DMV, Facebook has virtually everything an advertiser could wish to know about it’s consumer. With it’s high amount of users and it’s even higher amount information, Facebook seems to be an advertising jackpot. Here are three ways to utilize Facebook to target your audience:

1. Use Demographic Data to Hone Audiences

Using the demographics collected by Facebook could make a substantial difference in targeting audiences. Here’s a breakdown on how to utilize these demographics in a Facebook ad:

Create an ad

Scroll down to audience options

Click more demographics button

The demographics button displays 10 categories, from relationships to politics, each of which further have category subsets, allowing over 100 demographic options to target your audience.

2. Segment Interest to Lower Ad Costs

Facebook collects interests from user content, from pages liked to interests and activities. Once you target your interest, Facebook helps you further break down that interest and target your audience by providing a list of related interests.

To do this:

Go to interests

Select an interest from the 10 categories

Select a subset from the interests list to view suggestions

3. Incorporate Behavior for High Conversion

Behavior marketing typically consists of offline behavior and is crucial in creating conversions. Facebook provides a detailed list of behavior activities, from automotive to digital to financial activities, and like the others, provides suggestions. Simply:

Go to behaviors

Select behavior activity from drop-down menu

Select any of its subsets to open a new list of options you can use to segment your audience

The most important thing to take away from this is that targeting the right audience is crucial. The Social Media Examiner does a great job explaining the importance of targeting your audience and further explaining these important steps!